The Watchlist – Halloween Special
In case you missed it, catch up on the Watchlist Halloween Special or, if you're short on time, check out the list of all the movies featured here.
Watch the video for the full experience or check out the summary below:
An American Werewolf in London
Released: 1981
Horror style: horror comedy with a side of gross-out
Director: John Landis (Blues Brothers, The 3 Amigos)
Starring:
- David Naughton
- Jenny Agutter
- Griffin Dunne
What it’s about: Two tourists, David and Jack, visit a local pub in Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. When David tries to explain the attack, the locals deny any knowledge of the wolf.
Why you should watch it:
- The man-into-wolf transformation scene is undoubtedly a classic.
- The special effects were a big deal, with the film winning the first ever Academy Award for best make up and inspiring movies like The Fly
- The encounters with a progressively decomposing Jack (aka walking meatloaf) are hilarious
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
Released: 2020
Horror style: thriller horror mystery with a Fargo flavour
Written, directed by and starring: Jim Cummings (Thunder Road)
Also starring:
- Riki Lindhome
- Chloe East
- Jimmy Tatro
- Robert Forster
What it’s about: Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Stressed out police officer John is losing sleep, he’s a recovering alcoholic, he’s got problems with the ex and his daughter and the town coroner. And he’s struggling not to give into the town’s paranoia that there’s a werewolf on the loose.
Why you should watch it:
- Jim Cummings performance as he progressively loses his shit.
- The who-dun-it take on the horror theme.
- At around 80 minutes it’s an easy watch.
Little Monsters
Released: 2019
Horror style: horror comedy with a dose of Tay Tay
Written and directed by: Abe Forsythe
Starring:
- Lupita Nyong’o
- Alexander England
- Kat Stewart
- Diesel La Torraca
- Josh Gad
What it’s about: A washed-up musician, a children’s television personality and a kindergarten teacher team up to protect a group of young schoolchildren during a sudden zombie outbreak at a petting zoo excursion
Why you should watch it:
- Lupita Nyong’o
- Miss Caroline protecting the kids with conga lines past lunging corpses and singing ‘The Wheels On The Bus’ as chomping zombies snap at the kids
- Miss Caroline’s ukulele rendition of ‘Shake It Off’
- It’s a funny, likeable Shaun of the Dead meets Kindergarten Cop.
- Lupita Nyong’o
The Lost Boys
Released: 1987
Horror style: heartthrob horror comedy
Director: Joel Schumacher (St Elmos Fire, Batman Forever)
Starring:
- Jason Patric
- Corey Haim
- Dianne Wiest
- Barnard Hughes
- Edward Herrmann
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Jami Gertz
- Corey Feldman
- Alex Winter
What it’s about: Two brothers move to a new town with their mum. The boys are soon sucked into the mysterious and dangerous world of bikers, vampires and vampire hunters.
Why you should watch it:
- It’s the film that marked the start of the ‘two Coreys’
- It has bad boy vampires (none of this Twilight shit).
- It’s basically Karate kid but with vampires instead of the Cobra Kai.
The Monster Squad
Released: 1987
Horror style: horror fantasy with a Goonies vibe
Director: Fred Dekker
Starring:
- André Gower
- Robby Kiger
- Stephen Macht
- Duncan Regehr
- Stan Shaw
- Tom Noonan
- Jonathan Gries
What it’s about: Five kids find themselves up against Dracula, the Mummy, the Gill Man and Frankenstein’s Monster who arrive in town in search of a magic amulet.
Why you should watch it:
- It’s a throw back to all those fears we had as kids that monsters were lurking under our beds and in our cupboards as soon as our parents left the room.
- 4 quality monsters in the one movie.
The ‘Burbs
Released: 1989
Horror style: dark comedy with a creepy neighbour
Director: Joe Dante (Gremlins)
Starring:
- Tom Hanks
- Bruce Dern
- Carrie Fisher
- Rick Ducommun
- Corey Feldman
- Wendy Schaal
- Henry Gibson
What it’s about: An overstressed suburbanite has decided to spend his time off lounging around the house in an effort to relax. But his neighbours have other ideas after they suspect the new family in the neighbourhood, the Klopeks, are mass murderers.
Why you should watch it:
- The great cast—Hanks in particular playing the unhinged, stressed out Ray Peterson.
- Queenie the dog who craps on everyone’s lawn—an established actress I. Her own right after starring in The Silence of the Lambs.
- Because every street has a Klopeks or witch house or haunted house.
Midsommar
Released: 2019
Horror style: folk horror, drama, psychological thriller
Written and directed by: Ari Aster (Hereditary)
Starring:
- Florence Pugh
- Jack Reynor
- William Jackson Harper
- Vilhelm Blomgren
- Ellora Torchia
- Archie Madekwe
- Will Poulter
What it’s about: A couple travel to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown for its fabled midsummer festival that occurs once every 90 years. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly turns into a devolves into a violent and bizarre cult ritual.
Why you should watch it:
- If you enjoy psychological thrillers.
- For the spectacular visuals, scenery and cinematography.
- If you like movies that make you keep thinking about them for a long time afterwards.
Beetlejuice
Released: 1988
Horror style: comedy fantasy aboard the banana boat
Director: Tim Burton
Starring:
- Alec Baldwin
- Geena Davis
- Micheal Keaton
- Winona Ryder
What it’s about: A recently deceased couple become ghosts living in their former home. An unbearable family move into their home and start redecorating so they hire an obnoxious, devious poltergeist named Betelgeuse to drive them out.
Why you should watch it:
- You’re a fan of Tim Burton.
- You’re after horror that’s more charming than scary.
- For the A-list cast.
A Nightmare On Elm Street
Released: 1984
Horror style: horror mystery, supernatural slasher
Written and directed by:Wes Craven (Scream, The Hills Have Eyes)
Starring:
- Heather Langenkamp
- John Saxon
- Ronee Blakley
- Robert Englund
- Johnny Depp (in his film debut and a midriff top)
What it’s about: 4 teenagers living in the same street are invaded and killed in their dreams by a burnt killer with a bladed leather glove.
Why you should watch it:
- It’s one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time and with one of the most notable villains in history—Freddy Krueger.
- There are some impressive death scenes.
- It’ll creep you out.
Halloween
Released: 2018
Horror style: horror thriller with a very focussed killer
Director:David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express)
Starring:
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Nick Castle
- James Jude Courtney
- Judy Greer
- Andi Matichak
- Will Patton
What it’s about: Laurie Strode had a narrow escape from Michael Myers’ babysitter killing spree 40 years ago. She made it her mission never to get caught off guard again and now she lives as a doomsday prepper. Michael escapes from the institution he’s been locked up in and now Laurie must confront her fears and put an end to his killing spree.
Why you should watch it:
- Appeals to the series’ diehard fans with lots of nods to the original.
- It also stands on its own.
- It was the highest grossing film in the franchise in its opening weekend.
- Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent.
What do you think?